What is better with your morning coffee than a delicious, sweet, flaky buttery scone. These chocolate date scones are packed with almonds, sweet chewy dates, and rich chocolate chunks. I made these scone with lots of butter and buttermilk to make them extra moist and tender! Not to mention they are super simple! Drizzle them with a sweet almond glaze and you will be amazed....there is not a better spring scone!
So to tell you the truth it wasn't that long ago that I was intimidated by the idea of making scones. I don't know why but there is something about them that always seemed so hard to make. I wasn't a hundred percent sure how they were made and you could only really find them in fancy coffee shops. So I assumed they were way too fancy for me to make. But I have always LOVED scones. They are not too sweet which is perfect for breakfast, almost like a biscuit but more firm and a little more sweet and filled with fruits and nuts or spread with some jam. I literally cant get enough scones. So when I eventually decided to try and make scones I realized they were SO SIMPLE.
Now if you follow my blog you probably think I have a big sweet tooth. I am always making sweet desserts like my rosemary lemon bars, peanut butter chocolate silk pie, or thin mint brownies. But the truth is I actually prefer a less sweet desert, so scones happen to be one of my favorite treats. I can eat them for breakfast or dessert. These almond chocolate date scones are just that, not too sweet but still filled with chunks of sweet dates and chocolate.
WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A SCONE AND A BISCUIT?
Biscuits have more butter in them and acidity from the buttermilk. This makes them extra flaky and fluffy. Scones use less butter and heavier ingredients such as heavy cream and eggs to get a more sturdy and yet crumbly pastry.
HOW TO MAKE SCONES
My favorite thing about scones is that they are so simple. One bowl and only a few steps. In a large bowl combine all your dry ingredients. Then cut in your cold diced up butter until the mixture looks like sand. Add all your wet ingredients and the dough is done.
Let your dough rest in the fridge to let the butter get cold again... cretaing a flaky scone.
Now the fun part. I like to shape my scones into that traditional triangle shape everyone knows but you can cut and shape them any way you like. You can even use a biscuit cutter for beautiful round scones. If you want the triangle scones start by shaping your dough out into a circle (about 7 inches wide and 1 ½ inches thick) then cut it like you would a pizza into 6 even slices.
Bake and your done!
SECRETS TO MOIST SCONES
- Traditionally scones are made with heavy cream but I like to use buttermilk to make them extra moist!
- Do not over mix or your scones will be tough.
- Brush the top of your scones with a little extra buttermilk to create a nice golden color and a crisp edge.
- Top your scones with some course sugar, a sweet glaze or some extra nuts!
- Refrigerate your dough for an hour before cutting out your scones so your butter gets cold again and you have flaky scones.
These scones will make you feel like you are at your favorite fancy coffee shop in the comfort of your own home!
Lastly, if you try out these Almond Chocolate Date Scones, be sure to leave a comment/rating on how they turned out. I love hearing from you guys and will try my best to reply to every comment! And don’t forget to tag me on Instagram!
Almond Chocolate Date Scones
Ingredients
- 2 cups flour
- ½ cup almond flour
- ½ cup sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- ½ cup salted butter (diced up)
- ½ cup buttermilk (plus more for brushing)
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
- ¾ cup bittersweet chocolate (chopped up)
- ½ cup dates (diced up)
- ½ cup slivered almonds (more for top)
Glaze
- 4 oz cream cheese
- ¼ teaspoon almond extract
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- 1-2 tablespoon milk
Instructions
- In a large bowl combine your flour, almond flour, sugar, salt, baking powder.
- Using a pastry cutter, add your cold butter until your mixture resembles oats or wet sand.
- Add your buttermilk, egg, and almond extract to your mixture mix until combined. Add your chocolate, dates, almonds and mix until combined.
- Refrigerate your dough for at least one hour.
- On a floured surface, form your dough into a circle that is about 7 inches wide and 1 ½ inches thick. Then cut your dough into 6 even slices (similar to how you would cut a pizza).
- Place your scones on a baking sheet (with parchment paper) spacing the out about 2 inches apart, and brush the top of each scone with buttermilk.
- Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes
- Let cool.
Glaze
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, whip your cream cheese until soft. Add your vanilla and powdered sugar. Mix until combined. Add your milk slowly until you get the right consistency.
- Drizzle your glaze over your scones and top with some extra slivered almonds.
- Enjoy!
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